The US Army is buying more of the FD-1, a quadcopter interceptor that hunts other drones in the air. Mountain Horse Solutions, a Sarasota, Florida, subsidiary of Global Ordnance, announced on Oct. 12 that the Army's G-TEAD office had placed a second order under an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA). The first G-TEAD OTA was awarded this spring.
The company release does not give the size of the new buy. Janes reported the figure at AUSA 2026, quoting Richard Budniewski Jr, Mountain Horse's director of UAS and C-UAS programmes. He said the first award covered 300 interceptors and the second covers 385. Unmanned Airspace reported that neither the quantities nor the contract value had been disclosed. The 385 figure therefore rests on a single company official speaking to one outlet. No Army statement or contract document seen by UASFeed confirms it.
According to Janes, Budniewski said the company is on schedule to deliver the weapons still owed under the contract by November 2026.
What the FD-1 is
The FD-1 is an air-to-air counter-UAS interceptor: a drone that flies out to kill other drones. Mountain Horse says it defeats Group 1-3+ unmanned aircraft and can also strike ground targets. Janes reported that the ground-target role extends to armored vehicles.
The performance figures come from the company, as reported by Janes:
- Speed: more than 165 mph against Group 1-3 UAS, with about 195 mph as the fastest run in testing.
- Range: more than 20 km.
- Setup: per the company release, the system can be set up and airborne in under two minutes, with one operator.
- Human control: the release says a human authorizes every engagement.
Unmanned Airspace reported that the FD-1 can work behind an existing detection and tracking layer or operate on its own. That matters for how it might be fielded. A unit with an existing sensor network could add it as a shooter. A small team without that network could use it alone.
Changes after the first assessment
The most useful details in this announcement concern the process, not the airframe. Budniewski told Janes that G-TEAD ran an operational assessment on the first 40 units and returned nine factors to improve. Mountain Horse then made 13 hardware upgrades, including thermal cameras and greater range and endurance.
The company's account matches that sequence. In the release, president Bill Allen said soldier feedback was turned around in weeks. He also said G-TEAD bought the revised version without waiting for a requirements cycle. That is the intended use of OTA authority: prototype, field, fix and reorder on a short loop rather than through a traditional program of record.
Unmanned Airspace reported that the FD-1 was evaluated by G-TEAD, the 52nd Air Defense Artillery and Army Test and Evaluation Command. The 409th Contracting Support Brigade handled contracting.
Next: ground strikes
Janes reported that the next assessment will be with the 10th Mountain Division and will focus on ground strikes. The interceptor is mainly sold as a counter-drone weapon, but the planned assessment suggests the Army is interested in its secondary attack role. If the FD-1 proves useful against vehicles, units would get one low-cost airframe for two jobs.
Why It Matters
Small and mid-sized drones are a fast-growing threat to ground units. Defending against them with missiles or guns is costly and does not scale well. Interceptor drones offer a cheaper approach: a reusable or low-cost aircraft that chases down the target. A second order is a sign that the Army is moving this class of weapon past one-off trials.
The way the purchase happened is just as notable. Under an OTA, G-TEAD tested 40 units, sent back nine required improvements, received an upgraded version and placed another order within a single year, according to the company release. That is a short feedback loop by Army acquisition standards. Treat the scale with caution, though. The 300 and 385 figures come from a company official, the release does not state them, and no contract value has been published. Until the Army confirms the numbers, this is a confirmed follow-on order of reported size.
